Standing still in his Misfortune
by Darkening-Wings
Summary: They never expected Her fall, and therefore hearts and dreams were crushed. Will this be cured with someone's lack of tact? *pointed look*
1. Chapter 1

_Title: Standing still in his Misfortune_  
_Author: Darkening-wings  
Rating: T for now, this may change with latter chapters._  
_Summary: They never expected Her fall, and therefore hearts and dreams were crushed. This is a prelude._

_A/N: based on theme number 13 and 42. Interpretations may vary, but this is my idea. Latter chapters may contain some gay slash, so I'm warning you. Also, the other 3 chapters may be delayed as I need someone to read them first. This chapter has not been read by another person._

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It was just another day in the unknown world. The puzzle world, as Kefka affectionately called it. Back when he had said it, his joke had bounced off the walls and he had thrown his head back and howled with laughter.

Garland shook his head at the memory: the man was such a silly clown. He didn't succeed in his quest to amuse.

Not that their current world was great sustenance for jokes.

There were no gardens, no rivers, and no monsters other than the manikins.  
Hell, there wasn't even a princess fit for kidnapping, only that whiny girl who could turn into a nasty bitch and that... dwarf thing.  
And their (or at least his,) enemies were so pure hearted; they almost lit up their surroundings without any kind of fire or other source of light. No fun not to have a reason to poke fun at them when they doubted themselves.

So, naturally they all eventually went looking for a fight. For Garland, this meant searching for a warrior who always seemed to travel in the direction his nose pointed.

This time, his search ended at the Lunar Subterrane.

The Warrior of Light sat on the edge of one of the gray cliffs with his back to the nemesis, his feet dangling off the edge while his form swayed slightly from side to side as he rocked to the hum of his own voice. To his left lay what was left of his dinner -merely a piece of bread and some salt meat, along with the water pouch- next to it lay his shield, and to his right, he had a small pile of pebbles.

Garland eyed the swaying body for a bit, silently wondering whether his enemy had gone insane from his lack of memory or his lonely travels.

He stepped forward, changing grip on the huge adaptive weapon he wielded. "Had a good break?" he asked and watched, amused, as the warrior almost jumped out of his armor, left hand searching for his shield and picking it up, accidently showing the food off of the edge.

"G-" Light watched his dinner fall down the side of the circular cliff, and Garland saw how his shocked expression changed to one of loss. "That was my last ration..."

"Can't the others share their food?"

"We all live on crumbs."

Garland nodded "I see..." the silence fell heavy between them as the warrior sat down again to mourn the loss of his dinner, and the nemesis started to fidget. "So, what were you doing?"

Light patted the ground beside him and Garland laid down his sword, to sit down next to his archenemy. He almost fell to the same destiny as the paragon's lunch as Light took off his helmet and lifted the silver hair covering his left ear.

Garland stared, blinked, and stared again.  
Was that really a piece of gold-framed jewelry dangling from the emotionless warrior's earlobe? He leaned forward to see clearer.

"Rubies," Light said and let his hair fall back down, his eyes lit up but the corners of his mouth didn't even twitch when Garland nodded approvingly. "I make them out of the pebbles I find. These" he gestured to his ear "I found in the Chaos shrine."

"You make them out of pebbles." Garland stated, pointing to the pile on the other side of the warrior. "How do you know where to look? Not all of them can contain jewels, right?"

Light shrugged and laid his helmet down by the pebbles, he picked one of them up and eyed it closely. When he found what he was looking for he showed it to Garland: a small glint of dark-blue could be seen when the light shifted in it."Lapis Lazuli" The warrior said, put it down and picked up another, searching its surface. "They are easier to find after a battle, especially if the battleground was hacked up during the fight." He pointed to a small, glistening white area on the new pebble. "Holystone, and that's a rare find."

"Huh..." Garland took the small pebble and looked closer up at it. "Do you make them for yourself?"

"No, I'd be a living Christmas tree if I did," Light murmured, "I've given some of them to Cecil, Bartz and Luneth, and I'm planning to give that stone to Cosmos, once I'm finished with it."

Garland laid the pebble in the palm of the waiting, gloved hand, almost sad that the younger warrior didn't know the fate of his Goddess. "What if I kill you here? Or sometime further into the future?"

That gloved hand tightened its grip on the stone "what are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about the fact that you might not succeed in giving her this piece." Garland muttered and patted the hand holding the pebble, Light only moved away, his blue eyes narrowing as they met the yellow orbs of their enemy.

"I will give it to her," the warrior said. "I will give it to her and she will be very happy."

Garland sighed, grabbed his weapon and jumped off the cliff. He landed with a loud clank by its base "Whatever you say, young warrior." He felt the piercing blue eyes stare at the back of his head and looked over his shoulder, facing the helmetless form. "And before I forget: you are welcome to dine with me, anytime."

He left, wondering what the coming future would do to the enemy.


	2. Chapter 2

_Title: Standing still in his Misfortune_  
_Author: Darkening-wings  
Rating: T for now, this may change with latter chapters._  
_Summary: They never expected Her fall, and therefore hearts and dreams were crushed. Will this be cured with someone's lack of tact? *pointed look*_

_A/N: based on theme number 13 and 42. Interpretations may vary, but this is my idea. Latter chapters may contain some gay slash, so I'm warning you. Also, the other 2 chapters may be delayed as I need to check what I can first. It sucks not to have English as one's first language._

_Also, I noticed some grammar in the text which didn't fit or made me lose interest in the text, however I don't know how to fix them. I would appreciate if you could help me with this, dear reader._

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Someone knocked on his door.

Garland blinked, his sight slightly foggy from the nap beneath last day's number of _Chaos Daily_. He could blearily read the bold black letters _"Cosmos's warriors in shock: Goddess defeated"_ on the page which was resting against his face.  
He removed the newspaper and sat up, looking across the metallic gray walls featuring various pinups and a few out-dated calendars, to the dark red front door, while trying to remember why he had fallen asleep in the old armchair of all things.  
One foot on the cold stone floor, something clattered and rolled away when his toenails hit it; _oh, beer! Mystery solved._

He folded the newspaper over the middle and stood up, dressed in nothing more than his dark morning-robe. He wearily scratched his backside as he hurried towards the door, the knocking getting louder with every passing second.

"Coming! Gimme a second. _Humph, kids these days..._"

He pushed the red stone door aside and faced Golbez, with his brother hiding behind his cape and his heavy hands resting -reassuring- on the shoulders of a dark-eyed Warrior of Light.

Garland quickly grabbed his helmet from the hat rack and forced it over his head.

"Morning, Golbie." The nemesis squinted at the shape shifter for a moment. "Morning, Spacebunny junior."

"Good morning, Gar." Golbez nodded and patted his brother's head when the latter blushed at his nickname. "Forgive me for ruining your noon, but I believe we may have some trouble at hand."

"No bother, I'm an early bird anyway." Garland muttered and yawned. "Wazz the trouble, this time? Did Exdeath accidently root in the hot spring again?"

Cecil -the little younger covering behind his stronger relative- snorted with laughter, Golbez only shook his head. "No, that is not it." He pushed the warrior forward, and the silent paragon didn't make a sound even as he was almost forced to nuzzle against the chest of his enemy. "I think your _friend _herehit a serious low with the defeat of his precious Goddess."

Garland blinked and grabbed the Warrior of Light by his chin, looking into the dead, dark eyes. He tilted the chin to the right and the eyes didn't even blink. "Huh."

"Exactly what I meant", Golbez nodded, then he folded his arms across his chest. "By the way, I noticed that you had been rummaging around my _box_ yesterday."

"How d'you know it was me?" Garland waved a hand before his enemy's eyes but didn't get a reaction.

"You left your cup." Golbez retrieved the gray piece from within the folds of his cape; black text stretched across the smooth gray surface: "**Pride comes before fall**". The thaumaturge let it dangle from his middle finger. "You do know that that blonde is mine; get your own amusement instead."

Golbez turned on his heel and walked off, Cecil still clinging to his cape while asking him questions about this box. Before they turned around the corner further down the corridor, Garland could hear the whine of the younger brother's voice "But I thought Kain liked _me_..." followed by a tired groan.

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He closed the door behind the Warrior of Light, watching the man tense up when the click of the lock echoed through the small hallway. Garland couldn't help but frown.

"Want anything to eat? I have cereals... And milk, o'course. Unless you'd rather want something else..." the warrior took a step forward and stopped, looking around silently. Garland let himself stare at Light's back while the other examined the somewhat messy apartment; without the armor his enemy looked much more like the average man. "Where's the skirt you're usually wearing?"

Light didn't reply.

_Gee, he's worse than usual._

"Anyway, cereals..." he pushed the quiet warrior before him into the kitchen; it was more or less part of the livingroom: the oven, mini fridge and dishwasher all stood in the corner opposite of the TV with the shelves above them halfway empty, and a round rickety table with a lone chair was, except for the mentioned TV, another small table and the armchair, the only furniture in the room. The floor was littered with beer bottles and empty boxes.  
Garland scurried over to the kitchenette and started to look through some of the oak lockers. "Sorry about the mess." Light didn't seem like he cared about the lack of order in the room. The nemesis finally came up with a package of chocomogs, almost spilling its contents on the floor before he realized that the top was open. He found a clean white bowl and poured some of the chocolate moogle cereals in it. "Hey, could you fetch some milk for me?"

The other stood stock-still.

Garland waited for a moment and then went over to the fridge himself while muttering about spoiled kids. He grabbed the package of milk and checked the expiration date. "I understand that you're sad because Cosmos was defeated. But look at it from the positive side,"

Garland poured some milk on the chocomogs and nodded to the warrior, "you are still alive."

When he looked up, Light's eyes had narrowed and his hands were trembling.

_... You're not going to have a breakdown, right?_

"You are not hungry?"

Dark eyes lowered themselves to the floor, and Garland couldn't help but sigh. _So, this is the form which hides beneath the solid shell.  
_He walked around the table and grabbed the warrior by his shoulders, leading him towards the only other door in the kitchen/livingroom; it opened without a sound when he touched it.

Inside was a less messy area, empty except for the lone bed by the far wall and a small pile of neatly folded clothes in a corner. There was one window on the short end of the room; it showed the image of vast green fields- an illusion which differed from room to room in the old shrine.

Light stared at it for a moment, his eyes reflecting the artificial light which radiated from the sun outside of the glass, he walked up to it and a dumbfounded expression softened his face.

He opened the window and the image changed back into the burned landscape outside, the wind which found its way inside smelled of sulfur and ashes. Light's expression once again fell.

"Will you be fine if I leave you here?"

The form stood silent by the window, his hair lifting a little with the breeze which remained from the time of Cosmos's reign.

With a click of the lock, Garland closed the door behind him.


	3. Chapter 3

_Title: Standing still in his Misfortune_  
_Author: Darkening-wings  
Rating: T for now, this may change with latter chapters._

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The Warrior of Light awoke in an unknown bed for the first time in his whole known life.

He looked around, silent and slightly confused as the ceiling came back into view: patterns which he knew he recognized rang several warning bells, but didn't connect with the memories.

Giving up, he rolled over onto his side to face the wall, planning to go back to sleep when the smell of soup made its way into his nostrils, making his stomach growl. A rare feat, since he mostly always lived on little to no food, also, he knew that unlike his enemies, he couldn't beat his stomach into submission. _So when was the last time he had had lunch?_

He turned back towards the room, frowning while forcing his senses to do their best, and heard nothing but someone singing in a low baritone voice. Locating the source of the smell was easy enough, when he noticed that the door by the corner was open.

Light sat up, slowly so he wouldn't reveal that he was awake, and slid his legs out from beneath the covers. This time, curiosity had won over his rational thinking.

His feet touched the cold stone floor and recoiled, before being set down again. Light bit his lower lip and wished he had had socks.

Standing up, he snuck to the door and looked out into the chaos of the kitchen.

To his right, he could see Garland approaching, holding a brick with a plate, spoon and glass of water on it. He was clad in his usual armor, and a pink, frilly _kiss the cook_ apron hung from his neck. And when pale yellow eyes located the slack-jawed man by the door, the nemesis dropped the brick and vegetable soup joined the bottles on the floor.

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_A/N: Well, go right ahead and kill me, but I like sardine cans in cute pink aprons. Sorry for short chapter._


	4. Chapter 4

_Title: Standing still in his Misfortune_  
_Author: Darkening-wings  
Rating: T for now, this may change with latter chapters._

_A/N: Why look at that, 4 chapters already! And it's not fucking finished! You poor bastards._

_Also I request critique. I'm rusty from reading first person view for too long, and I need to get my grammar on track along with my... phrasing, is it?  
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_I really need that black coffee I missed this morning_, Garland thought, frozen in place where he stood next to the humming refrigerator. _Or perhaps a good few bottles of vodka._

"For how long have you been awake?" He uttered in a dark, threatening voice, which lost its effect when the apron made itself reminded: the fabric was tearing around his chest.

The warrior blinked like a deer caught in highlights and fled back into the room, shutting the door behind him.

Garland grumbled and shook his head, noticing the soup seeping into his metal boots _Oh fu-... And I cleaned them just this morning._

He hurried over to the sink and grabbed a cloth: time to start cleaning the floor.

"Hey, Light." Garland knocked on the door, agitated. There had already passed several hours of hard work, not to mention that his back ached from spending the night in the armchair- so the nemesis was naturally not in a good mood. "I know you're in there, open up."

He tried the doorknob again, but the door was locked shut. And the silent, cold and _hopefully _alive warrior inside of it refused to say anything. _If he's gone and killed himself now, I'll have the other nine after me in no time._

Garland stepped away, muttering curses under his breath. His arms folded across his chest.

"Light, open the door."

Still no reply. Garland tapped his foot against the floor.

"You're in _my _shrine, in _my_ apartment, currently in _my_ room, sleeping in _my_ bed. I would appreciate that you at least discuss the matter of why you are here with me."

There was the rustle of sheets, but nothing besides that. _Thank the Gods, the brat is alive._

"I made you dinner!"

Silence.

Garland kicked the door for good measure "_Spoiled damn...!_"

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Late that night, a few corridors away from the Nemesis's room, Golbez put Gabranth's bottle of Bhujerban madhu back on the table.  
Garland stared deep into the glass filled with amber liquid before him, while Exdeath downed the content of his own glass, sighed and leaned back into his chair.

"This is the sensation" he said, chuckling gently. Golbez rolled his eyes at the former tree and grabbed his own bottle of Serpentwyne.

"There is no need for drunks here."

"Humph. It has only been a very long time since my last taste of..." Exdeath grabbed the bottle and eyed the name of it. "'Concentrated Bhujerban Madhu'." He put the bottle back on the table along with his glass. "It is rare to find anything remotely alcohol-related in a forest such as my home."

"I doubt a tree could drink that and survive," Garland stated, still staring into his glass.

"Agreed," Golbez nodded, Exdeath snorted and folded his arms across his chest.

"Why, both of you were probably drinking it during your time in the cradle."

Golbez started to stand up while glaring at the tree, but was interrupted by Garland tugging at his cape.

"Gabranth would probably dispose of us if he found out we destroyed his living room."

The thaumaturge grunted and sat down, sipping at his drink while staring darkly at nothing in particular. "What was it you requested our presence for?"

Exdeath hiccupped.

"You brought Light to me just this morning. Now; he's locked himself away in my room," Garland sighed and lifted his glass. "He refuses to interact with me in any way," he angled the glass a little, "hell, I would have appreciated if he had laughed at me when seeing me in the... I mean, I would have appreciated if he at least beat me up for talking to him so casually."

Golbez rested his head against his hands, smirking. "You mean you actually _use _that apron which the Emperor gave to you?"

Garland shrugged, "maybe."

Exdeath hiccupped again, and with a low gurgle he fell off of his chair. Neither the nemesis nor the thaumaturge reacted.

"It is your home, is it not?" Golbez said, "Though... with your character, I guess it's not too weird that you have yet to break down the door and reclaim your sleeping area with brute force."

"And what exactly do you mean by that?" Garland growled, but his drinking companion only snorted with laughter and covered his eyes with his free hand.

By their feet, Exdeath started to snore, light brown drool seeping out of the opening in his helmet to stain the exclusive coeurl pelt beneath the table with sticky liquid.

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A/N: Bhujerban madhu and Serpentwyne both originates from FF12_


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